Embodiments relate to electric, electronic and/or electromagnetic devices, and/or processes thereof. Some embodiments relate to waveguide structures and/or processes thereof, for example balun structures.
While an apparatus may be fabricated to include a co-planar waveguide, microstrip, stripline and/or coaxial line in a single process, there may be a need for varied transmission lines applied to the same circuit, co-existence of multiple transmission line topologies in substantially the same in-plane location, modification of a co-planar waveguide by an offset of an inner conductor from a plane of a ground conductor and/or use of an insulating substrate as part of a circuit. Furthermore, there may be a need to employ coaxial line for a main signal path to maximize and/or minimize characteristic impedance, maximize isolation and/or to minimize insertion loss. Moreover, there may be a need to use such an apparatus, for example as a Marchand Balun, which may be useful in a variety of systems including impedance matching systems, combiner/divider systems, double-balanced mixers and/or more advanced systems.
Thus, there may be a need for an apparatus and/or processes which may maximize characteristic impedance, for example relative to a ground plane. There may also be a need for an apparatus and/or processes which may provide coaxial transverse electromagnetic field modes for substantial isolation from a coaxial conductor to an external ground plane. There may also be a need for an apparatus and/or processes which employs multiple topologies in substantially the same in-plane location, and/or that employ multiple modes such as coaxial mode(s) and/or microstrip mode(s).